Tokyo Sends Peace Mission To Restive Mindanao Island

Taeko Takahashi, Japan's political officer to Manila.

MANILA (Mitch Confesor / 11 Jun) Japan is to send a low-key, but important mission to Mindanao as part of Tokyo's commitment to contribute in peace efforts in the troubled southern region.

Minister Taeko Takahashi, political officer of the Japanese Embassy in Manila, said representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will travel this month to the main island of Mindanao to help Manila improve the lives of many Filipino Muslims, especially in conflict-affected areas.

“There will be small but very powerful missions to Mindanao benefiting the Bangsamoro Development Agency-affiliated local NGOs,” Takahashi said during the recent signing of the memorandum of agreement here with Secy. Jesus Dureza, President Gloria Arroyo's peace adviser.

The agreement also included JICA-Philippines Resident Representative Shozo Matsuura, Minister-Counselor Akira Sugiyama of the Embassy of Japan Economic Section, BDA chair Dr. Abas Candao.

She the Japanese government has started its first steps in helping facilitate the signing of the final peace accord between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“The final agreement would bring peace in Mindanao,” she said.

Matsuura said that confidence-building measures, specifically in the Bangsamoro areas, are a significant aspect of Japan’s efforts, adding, that although the volume and scale of his country’s contributions are not as large as others in the foreign donor community, their implementation does not lag far behind.

“JICA is very grateful for this new opportunity to take part in collaborative efforts for peace and development in Mindanao,” he said.

He said working in the Southern Philippines has long been JICA’s main activities within the territory of its Asia-Pacific neighbor.

Dureza said he even considered the MoA signing as an “important historic event” as it would signal the formalization of the partnership “that is going to happen and that is happening already” among the national government, the BDA, and JICA and the Japanese government.

He said Japan’s contribution to the government’s peace-building efforts in the south would largely help the Bangsamoro people attain their own “dividends of peace,” especially since has been the biggest contributor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, but the bigger iceberg is there,” Secretary Dureza said. “Peace building is one work of a lifetime.”

The Peace Institutions Development Office (PIDO) under Dureza, and JICA will spearhead the capability-building activities for the BDA’s peace and development facilitators which include trainings as well as orientation workshops on community organizing.

Rolly Asuncion, PIDO director, said that among the initial areas to be tapped as training grounds by mid-June include the premier Mindanao cities of Cotabato, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro.